My Eyes

a/n: Ok. So... I know. I'm bad for not updating. But tennis is a beast. And I'm done! So... hopefully more crap will come up? Well, it will for sure if people REVIEW, HINT HINT NOD NOD.

Chapter seven: Out of the Abyss Walked a Cow…

His fists were jammed into his pockets as he shuffled over in my direction.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by The Man.

"Hey! Loverboy! You steal my client, you die," he snarled, pushing Roger.

"You didn't miss me, you won't miss her!" Roger shouted, shoving back. "Look around! You've got plenty of customers!" The Man bristled – I touched his arm to pacify him, and led Roger away, knowing a fight would break out. I looked up at Roger expectantly. "Look. About last night, I'm sorry. I – I don't – " he stuttered.

"Just forget it," I said. I remembered Mark's story, and felt bad for being so angry at him.

"I was out of line. Can I make it up to you?"

"How?"

"A bunch of us are getting together at the Life Café after Maureen's show," he said.

"Yeah?" I pushed. He smiled.

"Would you like to come with me?" I smiled back.

"Sure. I'd like that." He turned, and we walked together to what was called "The Space". It was an awkward and oppressive silence, which I broke with similarly awkward small-talk. "So you're a tough guy?"

"Not really," he said, traces of a laugh in his voice.

"Its pretty good." As we entered the building, the noise got louder, so we couldn't ear each other over the roar. The large, open area echoed the sound further. It was barren and dirty. A stage had been erected against one wall, an arch of lights over it, a chain link fence behind with darkened lights spelling something I couldn't make out. Scattered across the stage were television screens, a sound board, and a microphone stand. In the center of the room stood a metal pillar with a spotlight, a crank, and a black woman surveying the scene apprehensively. Looking around, I saw Angel.

"Angel!" I cried.

"Mimi!" she shouted. I let out a squeal of joy and pushed over to her, tugging Roger by the hand.
"Roger, this is Angel." He nodded.

"Yeah, we've met." I looked at Angel with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged. "This is Mark, and Collins," Roger said. I smiled and leaned my arm on Mark's shoulder.

"Yep. We're pretty good buddies now," I said, winking at Mark.

"How – " Roger started, but was interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle revving up, and the cheers of the crowd. It must be Maureen, I thought. She drove through the masses, people cheering and clapping and shouting as she went by. Upon reaching the stage, she took off her helmet, shook out her wildly curly hair, and flashed "I love you" to the crowd before tossing her helmet to the people. After carefully laying her coat down beside her, she sighed, centering herself. The audience waited in anticipation. She snapped her fingers and the lights above the stage came on.

"Last night, I had a dream. I found myself in a desert called… Cyberland. It was hot. My canteen had sprung a leak and I was… thirsty. Out of the abyss walked a cow. Elsie. I asked if she had anything to drink. She said 'I am forbidden to produce – milk. In Cyberland, we only drink Diet Coke.' She said, 'only thing to do is jump over the moon'," Maureen sang, circling her hands and hopping. As we laughed and shouted, a mechanical looking moon came down behind her. It was amazing and hilarious how bad she was. Was she kidding? I was startled when she put her hands around her throat and shouted "I gotta get outta here! Its like I'm being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck, being packed in with fertilizer, and fuel oil, pushed over a cliff by a suicidal Mickey Mouse!" With every word, she hurled herself forward, hands still clutching her neck. The crowd laughed, a mixture of amusement and nervousness. She opened her enormous mouth, and sang "I ––––––––'ve got to got to, got to got to, got to got to, got to got to, got to got to – " she paused and breathed. We stood, fixed in anticipation. "Got to got to find a way – " She pressed a button on the sound board, and as the music that had come before played, the lights behind her illuminated and read LEAP OF FAITH. The televisions came on, and Maureen clutching her hair, looking insane, sang on the screens. Real life Maureen continued. "To jump over the moon. Only thing to do is jump over the moon. Then, a little bull dog entered. His name, we have learned, is Benny." The spotlight swung over to my ex-boyfriend, a stately-looking man in a tailored suit. My stomach had an awful sinking feeling. I bit my lower lip and looked down, praying he wouldn't see me. "Although he once had principles, he abandoned them to live as a lap dog to a wealthy daughter of the revolution.

"A – one, two, three, 'that's bull!' he said. 'Ever since the cat took up the fiddle, that cow's been… jumpy. The dish and the spoon were evicted from the table, and eloped! She's had trouble with her milk and the moon ever since. Maybe it's a female thing. Cause who'd wanna leave Cyberland anyway? Walls ain't so bad. The dish and the spoon, for instance? They're down on their luck, they come knockin' on my doghouse door, and I said, Not in my backyard, Utensils! Go back to China!'

"'The only way out is up!' Elsie whispered to me. 'A leap of faith. Still thirsty?' Parched…. 'Have some milk.' And I lowered myself beneath her swollen udder, and sucked the sweetest milk I have ever tasted!" Her feet were planted very far apart from each other on the stave, she was squatting, and mimed sucking milk from a cow with noisy slurping noises. The performance was a little eccentric, and badly done, but I could appreciate that she was trying. The general atmosphere of the place was an amused one, and made you forget how terrible she really was. As I watched, I felt a hand snake around my waist and rest on my hip. I looked up to see Roger, intently watching. I smiled, and rested my hand on top of his.

" 'Climb on board!' she said. And as a harvest moon rose over Cyberland, we reared back. We sprang into a gallop. Leaping out of orbit, I awoke, singing!" she hit the soundboard and bobbed her head with the beat as the TV's sang "Leap of faith."

"Oooh. Only thing to do – only thing to do is jump! Only thing to do is jump over the moon. Only thing to do is jump over the moon. Over the moon. Over the – moo. Moo with me!" She stood on the stage, arms outstretched. Everyone sort of laughed, and looked at each other confused. A faint moooo was heard in the back. Maureen pounced.

"Yes! Who was that? Come on, moo with me!" Empowered by the lone, brave moo-er, the rest of the audience hesitantly began. It was growing louder, and more insistent. I couldn't help but laugh. Maureen was loving it. "Let it rip! Mooooo! Yes! Way to go, New York City! Moo! Moo! Moo!" A guitar riff began as she began jumping up and down in excitement. The joy and enthusiasm dimmed when the cops began waving their flashlights into the crowd. It was evident and argument had begun. Maureen tried to console them. "Hey. Lets be cool. Officer, please." The fight continued, and someone smashed a bottle on the stage. Maureen stepped back nervously. Her please were quieter, and had a tone of worry about them. "Hey. Please. Everybody be calm, please." The voices got louder and more upset, until finally a cop clubbed one of the spectators, and the place went wild. A full – blown riot broke out. People shoving against people, hitting, screaming, and causing general uproar. My eyes widened in fear and I clung desperately to Roger, who was leading me away, gesturing and shouting to Collins and Angel. The worry and terror I felt, I could see reflected in the faces of others as they fought for safety. I could hear Maureen's pathetic attempts at restoring order before we pushed through the crush of humanity out the door, and into the safety of the cold.